Shadow Warriors
The Shadow Warriors are five highly powerful demonic knights who serve as the titular central villains in the Fighting Fantasy gamebook Legend of the Shadow Warriors. They seek to free their demonic lord Voivod the Waster, so that they could help him take over the entire world of Titan. About the Shadow Warriors The Shadow Warriors are five ghastly beings with glowing dead eyes, long hair and skeletal frame, mixing characteristics of undeads, Chaos Warriors and demons. Their mask is their anchor, so to speak, to the Earthly Planes. Taking it off after defeating one of them would banish him in Limbo for a century. However, they cannot be fully destroyed until the Evil that sustains their lord is extinguished. An Evil which in turn cannot be destroyed when they are present in the Earthly Planes, as Voivod is invincible as long as the five of them are not banished. Each Shadow Warrior wields a different weapon with great proficiency. They are deadly foes, almost unstoppable when together. Moreover, they seem to exert considerable influence and fear over the monsters and evil races of Titan, forcing an orc assassin to go after their enemies in a crowded city, a place they usually avoid. They are blindly devoted to their lord. They never speak, slaughter anything in their path and track down their targets without stop. They are extremely skilled trackers, able to find their target anywhere. They are very hard to escape or to deceive and they always check if their victim is really dead. History The Shadow Warriors were created by Voivod, the dreaded Demon of War, shortly after he himself was created, and they faithfully fought by his side since then. They very likely took part in the First Battle alongside their lord and escaped after the fall of the Demon Gods. What is sure is that they lead Voivod's armies when he invaded Titan. When Voivod was defeated by the Gods of Titan and sealed inside the Zarrikiz Shrine, the Shadow Warriors disappeared and were not seen for over two millennia. Mankind then forgot about them and when the story begins, they are only remembered as mere bogey men from children's nursery-rhymes. Because of this, very few still believe in their existence and any mention made about them is laughed off, something that allowed them to dwell freely during the entire course of the story. Role in the Gamebook The gamebook starts five years after the gruesome War of the Four Kingdoms, opposing the four most prominent nations of the continent of the Old World. It was violent enough to make Voivod's escape imminent, causing the Shadow Warriors to resurface and set out to free him. They searched for their liege's prison in the Zarrikiz Shrine, near the village of Karnstein, which they frequently ransacked. Some villagers come to Royal Lendle, the capital of the kingdom of Gallantaria, and hire the playable character who accepts to investigate, despite not believing in the Shadow Warriors in the first place. (Said character being a famous veteran and mercenary, who believes it to be but a gang of disguised bandits ransacking an easy prey, though they wonder what could interest them in such a remote place.) The Shadow Warriors send an Assassin Orc to Royal Lendle to kill the hero, before attacking them themselves and killing the villagers when they leave the city. The hero must hide with a magical cloak, jump over the chasm, or play dead and not react when one of them pierces their leg as they lie down to check, lest they get killed. Such a failure makes the hero swear to destroy them for good, in the name of the helpless peasants they failed to protect. During their quest, the hero will sometime get attacked by one of the Shadow Warriors, who are tracking them down across Gallantaria. If they meet the friendly hermit Hammicus and save him from the wraith of his dead son, he teaches them how to banish a Shadow Warrior for good, by removing his mask after defeating him. Should they defeat a Shadow Warrior the normal way, he will eventually reappear and be fought again later. During your quest, you will often get attacked by one of the Shadow Warriors who are tracking you down all over Gallantaria. If you meet the friendly hermit Hammicus and save him from the wraith of his dead son, he teaches you how to get rid of a Shadow Warrior for good, by taking off his mask after defeating him. Should you fail to learn this and defeat a Shadow Warrior the normal way, he will eventually reappear and be fought again later. Fighting a Shadow Warrior Which Shadow Warrior is faced must be determined with a dice roll. They are very dangerous enemies with 9 in skill (level of power) and 9 in stamina (life-points), and fearsome abilities. *The First Shadow Warrior is a martial artist who strikes twice in a row, as if the hero was facing two equally powerful enemies. *The Second Shadow Warrior fights with daggers. fights with daggers. He launches one at each attack round, causing additional damage 2 in 6 times. *The Third Shadow Warrior wields two broadswords, whose strikes cost 4 in stamina instead of the regular 2 regardless of defence. *The Fourth Shadow Warrior wields a spiked mace. Before fighting, the hero must win a test of luck, lest he knocks their sword away. (If they lack a sword to begin with, the hero loses 6 in stamina and 1 in skill!) *The Fifth Shadow Warrior attacks with shurikens. Before fighting, he throws one made of Cruel-Metal, that must be avoided with a test of luck. If it hits, the wound gradually tears the hero apart, gruesomely ending their quest. The Final Battle Upon reaching Karnstein at last, the hero finds it burnt to the ground and learns that Voivod is now free. They must find him before he raises ten thousand undead warriors, otherwise Titan is doomed and them along with it. Before fighting Voivod, the hero must face every Shadow Warrior they could not banish. Using the Spear of Doom destroys each without fight; but weakens its power and reduces the hero's chances of defeating Voivod. The ring of Rabbam, cancels their special abilities and reduces them to normal, yet still tough enemies. The Shadow Warriors disappear for eternity after Voivod is defeated and restored him to life. Trivia *The Shadow Warriors are somehow based on the Nazgûl from The Lord of the Ring, being a fearsome team of highly powerful, demonic undead riders bound to a world-threatening Evil Overlord they help rise again. *The Shadow Warriors look somehow similar to the titular Golden Vampires, from the Hammer horror film Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires. Amusingly, both stories' titles mention the villains' legend. Category:Undead Category:Dark Knights Category:Demon Category:Partners in Crime Category:Teams Category:Titular Category:Fantasy Villains Category:Gamebooks Villains Category:Right-Hand Category:Male Category:Immortals Category:Fighters Category:Evil from the Past Category:Chaotic Evil Category:Destroyers Category:Defilers Category:Homicidal Category:Sadists